Sermon Central
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Walking In Correctness (Concerning The Holy Spirit) Series
Contributed by Shawn Drake on Sep 23, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: This is the 7th study in the study "Light In The Darkness".
WALKING IN CORRECTNESS
(CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT)
How do we know that Christianity is the correct faith? How do we know we worship the correct God? How do we know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven? It is easy to give answers such as, ¡§That¡¦s just how it is¡¨, or ¡§Just have faith¡¨, etc¡K The problem with statements such as this is that every persona believes that their religion is the correct one. If they didn¡¦t believe that they probably would not be in that group. Christians must be able to give proof of why the God we worship is the only true God.
Listed below are 5 statements of belief from 5 different religions concerning their belief of their deity. There is a blank at the top of each section. From the list of 5 religious groups write down the group that you believe the statement is about.
Buddhists Christians
Jehovah¡¦s Witnesses Mormons Muslims
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¡§Our God is the only deity worthy of worship. There is no Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ was a Prophet; but He was not divine.¡¨
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¡§Our God is a three-headed God. All three are completely separate. God #1: God the Father. God #2: God the Son, who was Michael the Archangel until He came to earth in human form. This would make Jesus Christ God the Father¡¦s greatest creation. God #3: God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God¡¦s force and is not a person.¡¨
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¡§We have no deity. Each person strives for perfection by learning how to conquer or forget pain, sorrow, or suffering.¡¨
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¡§There are many gods. God the Father is the greatest of the gods and was created by His Father. God the Father was a man who was exalted to godhood. The Bible refers to God the Father as Elohim in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ is another God who is greater than God the Holy Ghost but not the God the Father. The Bible refers to Jesus Christ as Jehovah in the Old Testament. The Holy Ghost is the third God in the Trinity and is a spirit man. The Holy Spirit is separate from the Holy Ghost and is an impersonal influence that comes from God the Father.¡¨
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¡§Our God is one God that consists of the Trinity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three in one. There is only one God.¡¨
Which one of these statements represents the Christian view of God? What makes the Christian view the correct view?
In this study we will study the Holy Spirit and prove and disprove different views.
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Position And Characteristics
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead and is equal in position to the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is mentioned in conjunction with the other persons of the Trinity (Matthew 3:16-17; John 14:16; Acts 10:38). This is disproves the belief of Mormon¡¦s that the Holy Ghost is lesser than the Father and Son and that He is separate from the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit fulfills all of the necessary requirements of having a personality.
„« He is intelligent (Isaiah 11:2; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
„« He can be grieved (Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 15:30).
„« He has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11).
„« He can be reverenced (Psalm 51:11).
„« He can be blasphemed (Matthew 12:31).
„« He can be obeyed (Acts 10:19-21).
„« He can be lied to (Acts 5:3).
„« He can be resisted (Acts 7:51).
„« He can become outraged (Hebrews 10:29).
The fact that the Holy Spirit has a personality disproves the Muslims and Buddhist who claim there is no Holy Spirit. It also disproves the Jehovah¡¦s Witnesses¡¦ view that the Holy Spirit is not a person.
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Names
The deity of the Spirit is recognized in the divine names He bears.
„« Holy Spirit (Mark 3:29; Romans 15:13).
„« Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2; Matthew 3:16-17).
„« Spirit of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2; 61:1; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
„« Counselor (John 14:16, 26).
„« Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6).
„« Spirit of Truth (John 15:26; 16:13).
„« Spirit of Grace (Hebrews 10:29).
„« Good Spirit (Psalm 143:10).
„« Spirit of Holiness (Romans 1:4).
„« Spirit of Life (Romans 8:2).
„« Spirit of Glory (1 Peter 4:14).
„« Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding/ Counsel and Power/ Knowledge and Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).
Many of these names disprove the belief that there is no Spirit, the belief that the Spirit is lesser than the Father and Son, and the belief that the Spirit is a separate God.
The Holy Spirit¡¦s Divine Attributes
The Holy Spirit has the same divine attributes as the other two persons of the Godhead.
